The National Syndicate of Phonographic Publishing is the inter-professional organisation that protects the interests of the Frenchrecord industry. Originally known under the acronym SNICOP, the organisation was established in 1922 and has 48 member companies. SNEP's responsibilities include collecting and distributing royalty payments for broadcast and performance, preventing copyright infringement of its members' works, and sales certification of silver, gold, platinum and diamond records and videos. SNEP also compiles weekly official charts of France's top-selling music, including singles and albums.
Official charts
History
The first attempt at a French national chart of best-selling records originated from a request by the American music industry magazine Billboard. The magazine's French correspondent, Eddie Adamis, compiled a top 10 list of the country's preferred format, the extended play, for Billboards "Hits of the World" column of 5 June 1961. The number 1 record was an Edith Piaf EP featuring the song "Non, je ne regrette rien". France's coverage in Billboards "Hits of the World" continued until May 1964, when Adamis resigned from his position. The chart then resumed in June 1967, overseen by a new French correspondent, until SNICOP's involvement in late 1968. While the list continued to demonstrate the dominance of EPs, the English band Procol Harum succeeded in achieving the first French number 1 single, with their 1967 release "A Whiter Shade of Pale". SNICOP published its first national singles chart, or "Hit Parade Officiel", in October 1968, compiled by the Centre d'Information et de Documentation du Disque. Earlier that year, with reference to the new chart compiler, Billboard had reported that "for the first time the main record companies are cooperating in an effort to produce a reliable sales chart which will serve the industry." By July 1973, SNICOP had long been publishing a national albums chart. These charts were abandoned in November 1977 due to disputes in the French music industry, leaving France without an official sales chart. The date recognised as the start of SNEP's charts in the modern era is 4 November 1984. This date marks the debut broadcast of Top 50, a television chart show on the recently launched Canal+ network.
21st century methodology
Since September 2002, the official charts have been as follows:
Top 100 best sold singles
Top 150 best sold albums sold at full price,
Top 40 best compilations sold at full price
Top 40 best sold albums and compilations sold at mid-price or budget price
Criterion: The following guidelines are applied:
"Nouveauté" album means its first day of release is less than 2 years
Full price album means the catalogue price of album sold is €10 or higher
The albums whose release is more than 2 years and/or sale price lower than €10 are excluded from the "nouveauté" charts.
The albums sold at "mid-price" or "budget price" are classified in a separate chart and also includes long albums sold at discounted prices.
Certification awards
Albums
Note: While the source provided for changes in certification-levels does not mention the changes for the silver, 2× Gold, 2× Platinum and 3× Platinum awards, the SNEP reduced the levels for those awards at the same time it reduced the levels for the Gold, Platinum and Diamond awards.
Singles
Sales only
Note: Diamond-award represented 750,000 units from 2 January 1997 until 30 April 2005.
Sales + streaming
Note: The SNEP originally converts digital downloads into streaming figures using a 1 download = 150 streams formula. "" indicates the units equivalent of certifications with the formula.
Videos
Sales charts: Significant milestones and achievements
Artists: Most number-one hits
1 All the singles recorded under one of his pseudonyms or as member of his bands are included
Artists: Most weeks at number one
1 Songs performed as duets and trios are included
2 Songs performed within Brastisla Boys and Fatal Bazooka bands and as Alphonse Brown included
